Apparatus for cleaning lechuguilla, henequen, and analogous fibrous plants.



- A. AGUILAR. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING LECHUGUILLA, HENEQUEMAND ANALOGOUSFIBROUS PLANTS.

' APPLICATON FILED AUG-30- HHS.

1,277,816. PatentedSept. 3,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET fllfonao fl auizar NU/knew ms mum's ca. Pmwmu'rum.IIAsumomN. u c

A. AGUIILAR.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING LECHUGUILLA, HENEQUEN, AND ANALOGOUS FIBROUSPLANTS.

mrucmon' men AUG.30. 19m.

v PatentedSept. 3,1918.

A. AGUILAR.

APPARAIUS FOR CLEANING LECHUGUILLA, HENEQUEN AND ANALOGOUS FIBROUSPLANTS.

' APPLIQATION FILED AUG.30. IBIS. 1 277,81 6. Patented Sept. 3,1918.

- 8% I flZfon/s'o fl uilar A. AGUILAR. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING LECHUGUILLA, HENEQUEN, AND ANALOGOUS' FIBROUS PLANTS.

, APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. ISIS. 1,277,816. PatentedSept. 3,1918.

4 sHEE s-s'HEEI 4.

l machine constructed" in accordance with ALFONSO 'AG InAR, 01E]; IPASO,TEXAS. 1

APPQARATUS FOR CL ANING LECHUGUILLAQ;HEnEQUEii; Ann mmeovs 'moes -j s./.-PLA1\TTS-. 1' H a I Specificationof Letters Patent, P te ted Sept,3, 1918;

' iApp lication filedAug usis so, 1916. sriaiuo, 117,730. f

useful" Improvements in Apparatus for Clea-nin Lechuguill'a, Hene'q'uen,and Analogous fibrous r1 ne,- or whi h the following is a specification.I

This invention relates to an "improved. a'p

vparatus for scraping lechuguilla; henequen and analogous iibrousplants. ,7 7

- In carrying out the 'fpre'sent invention, it is my purpose to proyidean apparatuso'f theclass described whereby the stal'ks'ofithe"plantsmay' be scraped mechanically and the pulp' separated fromthelfiber of the" Plant so that, the fiber, will bef'cleaned andready aif? 17;:

';,With the above and other'iobjects in View,

"the invention consists in the; construction, combination andarrangement of-parts here- 1 in'aft'er setforjth' inand scope of'theclaims.

In theaccompanying drawings i 5 Figure 1 'isfafyiew in front ;elevation{of "F ig.f2 is fa'top planviewbfthe same.

Fi'gi'3jis a jviewin' side elevation thereof.

f *Figfi t'is a diagrammatic view showing the manner which t h'ejqablesor cords are arranged. a Fig." 515 a lsimila r View. Fig; '6 1s"ajs1m1lar view.

- Fig; 7 is an enlarged; side ele ation of the drums. I

"I Themanner or mode lof treatment ofthe material consists in poundingthe stalk -of the. plantinto a substantially fiat shape;

their "feeding the stalk to a moving element and subjecting oneside of*the stalkYto the action of: a;- scraper aridthen transporting the.stalk'toanother moving element with the previously scraped side-againstsuch element and'subjectin'gthe other side -of the ing the latter sothat theiflfiber me In the accompanying shown one-.form vof apparatusfor carrying myimproved method into practicaliuse'and stalk to theaction offa scraper; thereby Y removing the pulp from the fiber andcleanfor itsintende'cl purpose. o I

in this'conn'ection I Wish-it to be understood vfel ie' W -h e Ph y heused thatthe construction of theiapparatusmay be chan ed 'withoutdeparting from the spirit 0 ,m invention or exceeding the 'scopeof theclaims; 1 I p 'Iteferringnow to the drawings in detail, 1 designates aframe suitably {constructed to support the mechanism of the apparatusillustratedin thedrawi'ngs; Journaled in Vertically :alining bearingscarriedhy the frame 1 is a .vertical sha'ft2 and surround;

ingtheshaftQ and fixed thereon is a cylindrical drum 3, while journaledin vertically "a'lining bearings and arranged alongside of the shaft 2is a.verticalshaftparalletwith theihori'zontal shaft 8 "journaled inhorizontally alining bearings carried, by the upper lend ofthe frame 1.'Also .fiXedup'on' the shaft 8 is a belt pulley 9. The drum 3 isarranged in a plane abovethe drum 5 and f the lower end' portion' of thedrum 3 al'ines 'QWith the upper endportion of the drumi5,

as'clearly shownin 'Figflfi of the drawings.

ournaledin horizontally alining bearings carried by theframe 1anddisposed contiguous to the outerportion o'fthe respective 1 drums"and 5 are transverse shafts '12 and 13 and fixed upon thecorrespondingends ofthe shafts 12Vand 13 are uueys 14. Also {fixedup'onflthe shaft 12 is a -belt"pulley l5 arrangedadja'cent to the pulley14, while "fixed upon the outer; end of the shaft 12 is V 'a' beltpulley 16 'adapted to belted up'to a suitable source of] power. Trainedlover th'elpulleys- 14,' 14:?"is a Tcrossed belt' l7. whereby themotion" may fbe transmitted from-'the'shaft 12'to theshaft 13 to rotatethe "shaft18l in a direction reverse tothe direction of rotation of theshaftj12. Trained fo er-the belt pulleys 15 and 9 is a belt 18 wherebymotion be transmitted from" the shaft '12 to the belt 8:130 revolve theshaft 'Q an'd' thedru'm 3 thereon. Fixed uponeach shaft 12,- 13isfacleaning or-scraping device embodying; in the present instancqa drum 7 aa 19 havingthe periphery thereof equipped drawings, I have, 2'

with outwardly extendingwire bristles 20 and mounted upon the frame"betWeen'each cleaningdeyice and'the adjacent drum is a segmentalsupporting 2 iron 21 that "conforms A to the curvature of the drum ofthe cleaning device.

Formed in the drum '3 1adjacent" totthe upper end thereof are annulargrooves 32,

'33 and 3 1, wliile fo rmed in the drum adj a cent to the lower endthereof are annular" grooves and 36. Formed in the drum 5' adjacent tothe' upper'end thereof are annu lar grooves 37 and 3S that aline withthe grooves 35 and 36 respectively in the drum 3.

v Trainedthrough the grooves ,32, 33 and 34 and over-suitably arrangedguidesheaves 39 corresponding to'the grooves. 32, 33zand 34; are endlessropes 4:0 or other flexible elements. These guide sheaves 39 are mountedbearings 4c2 carried by the frame 1 and the sheaves corresponding to thegroove 33-is of greater diameter than the 'othersheaves so thattheropef-ZIO inthe groove 33,will engage in such groove at apointbeyondthe point-,of engagement of the ropes, inythe grooves32,;1-11Cl-3t, for a purpose whichwill presently appear;v Trainedthrough the groove 37. and the drum 5 in onegdirection and the-groove.35 in the opposite direction and over sheaves 43 is an endless rope'14, "while trained through the grooves 38, and 36 in thereversedirectionand over sheaves i45isan endless rope 46. Thesesheavesllil and 45 are arranged side by side and mountp ed upon verticalshafts47 journaled'in alining bearings-4t8 carried bythe supportingframe 1. V c I In practice, the stalk of lechuguilla, henequen or otherfibrous plant is beaten or pounded into substantially flat shape and Ione end of the stalk placedbetween the rope 40 in the groove 33 andtheropes in the grooves 32 and 3th so that the stalk maybe suspendedalong the side ofthe drum 3.

Previous to this feeding of the stalk to the drum 3, the shaft 12 is setin motion by the belt pulley 16 and this motion is transmitted from theshaft 12 to the shafts 8 and 13 and upon the rotation of the shaft 8motion is transmitted to the drum 3 'and'thenito the druin5 through themediunrof the ropes {l4 and 46. In the rotation of 'thedrums 3; and

5, the stalks of the plants are carriedonto the drum 3 and shaft aroundwith the drum c and as the stalks move around with the arranged upon theouter side ofthe upper drum, such stalks pass slowly across the face ofthe iron 21 and in this-movementiof 55- the stalks across the iron, thecleaning device, being in operation, scrapes the pulp from the fiber. Inthe continued rotation of the drum 3, the center rope' lO, which is end'of the stalks, disengages each stalk as the latter passes-between thedrums 3 and 5, ,while the ropes 4:4 ,and 4:6 'which are fercablestrained around approximately onetrained throughthej-grooves in the :drum5 half of thecircumference of the first drum,

in a direction reverse fromthe movement of the center rope 40 in thedrum 3, bind for the desired purpose. I i i I 'lVhile I have hereinshown and described the claims and without the lower ends of thestalksto- -the drum 5. As the stalk passes from between the drums Sand;5, theiupp'er end thereof is released and the stalk swings downwardlyand is suspended frointheropes 4 1 and-4c6 and lies *a'galnst the drum 5and 1s carr1ed around and across the face of the other iron 21 andscraped-by the corresponding cleaning device, thereby removing the pulpfrom the other. side of'the'stalk. lVhen the stalks move out of thezone, of the cleaning device adjacent to the drum 5, suchstalksarei-refleasedby theropes l land 16 and are in a fibrous conditionso th t they may be used the preferred form of my invention by way vofi-llustrationyl wish it to be understood that I do not limit or confinemyself to. the

precisefietails of construction herein described and del1neated,.asmodification and variation may be made within the scope of W departingfronrthe spirit of the invention, I I claim: I I 1. A fiber machinecomprising a drum mounted on a verticalaxis, a pulley spaced laterallyfrom said drum, vertically; spaced feed cables trained around saidpulley and around the. upper end of the drum for holding one end ofcactus leavesfior the like .7 against the latter, means for cleaning theuoth er ends of said leaves as theyare carried around by the drum, asecond drum mounted on a vertical axis adjacent to the firstnamedi drum,transfer cables trained-partly around I the circumference of the;firstdrum,'passing between said drums andthen-partly around thecircumferenceof the second: drum, said ,1 transfer cables being:disposed beneath the; 1 aforesaid cables and being adapted totransfenthe leaves "from the first to the second drum andto hold thecleaned ends ,of-said leaves against said second ,drum,:and-ineans forcleaning the other ends; of said leaves as they are carried around bysaid second drum.

2. A fiber machine comprising a; drum mountedon a vertical axis,a-pulley spaced laterally fromsaid drum and havingiits center of greaterdiameterathan its ends; a trio.-

of vertically spaced .feed cables trained respectively around the endsand center of said pulley andiaround the upper end of the drum forholding one end of cactus leaves or the like against the latter, meansfor cleaning" the other ends of said leaves as they are cazrriedaroun'dby the drum, a second drum mounted on a vertical axis adjacent the firstnamed drum and having its upper portion lying in the same plane as thelower'portion of the first named drum, one or more transpassing betweensaid drums and' thenaround half the circumference of the second drum,

said cables being disposed beneath the aforesaid cables and beingadapted to transfer the leaves from the first to the second drum and tohold the cleaned ends of said leaves against said second drum, and meansfor cleaning the other ends of said leaves as they are carried around bysaid second drum.

3; A fiber machine comprising a frame, a drum mounted thereon upon avertical axis,

a bracket extending laterally from said frame adjacent the upper endthereof, a

pulley carried by said bracket and disposed tary'brush operatingadjacent said bucking plate for cleaning said free ends, a second drummounted on a vertical axis adjacent the first named drum and having itsupper portion lying in the same plane as the lower portion of the firstnamed drum, one or more endless transfer cables passing aroundapproximately one-half of the circumference of the first drum below theother cables,

passing between said drums and then around 7 half of the circumferenceof the second drum for transferring the leaves from the first to thesecond drum and holding the cleaned ends of said leaves against saiddrum, a second bucking plate over which the uncleaned ends of the leavesare carried by the movement of the second drum, and a second cleaningbrush operating adjacent this bucking plate for cleaning these ends.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALFONSO AGUILAR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe commisslonerof Patents, Washington; D. G."

